compétent

[kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃]

/[kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“compétent” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - kompetent, zuständig

Corpus desk

Index DE-competent · compétent · German

compétent · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for compétent
PropertyValue
Headwordcompétent
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “compétent” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

compétentliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

compétent is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "kompetent, zuständig".

compétent doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is compétent, spelled C-O-M-P-É-T-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    kompetent, zuständig

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how compétent appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. C'est un horloger particulièrement compétent. Il a réparé ma montre en une heure, alors que d'autres me proposaient de l'envoyer à l'usine.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "compétent"?
"compétent" is spelled C-O-M-P-É-T-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is [kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃].
What does "compétent" mean?
As an adjective, "compétent" means: kompetent, zuständig
How do you pronounce "compétent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compétent" is [kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "compétent" come from?
"compétent" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

What to do next

You've looked up "compétent". Here's where to go from here.

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list